Rail-joint.



J. E. FOUTE.

BAIL JOINT.

' APPLICATION FILED 00T. 24, 1912, 1,068,880, Patented July 29, 1913.

l f/gl Arron/vm i COLUMBIA PLANouRAPH Gouw/summum D. c.

JULIAN E. FOOTE, OF TOPEKA, -KANSAS RAILJOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1913.

Application led October 24, 1912. Serial No. 727,521.

To all 'whom z' may concern: Be it known that 1, JULIAN E. Foorn,citizen of the United States, and a resident@ of Topeka, in the countyof Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented certain new.l

and useful Improvements in Railaloints, .ofi

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail joints and contemplates a number ofimprovements; for the following purposes, to Vwitz-1, to,i enablecontraction of the rail in the generahi direction of the length thereofto tighten the joint; 11, to Venable the weight of the rail vand thedownward pressure of spikes asso-F ciated with the rail Vto tightenthejoint; 111,5 to `provide efficient means for preventingthetseparation of various parts comprising thef-j rail joint, and, generallyto render the j oint as far as practicable self-tightening; 1V, to:avoid the use of bolts and analogous fasten.` ing members except ininstances where it may .be desirable to use the same; V, to improve thegeneral efliciency of the rail joint.

Reference is made ,to the accompanying: drawings forming a part of thisspecicationf and in which like letters indicate like parts.`

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the abutting ends oftwo rails as se-g cured by my improved rail joints; Fig. 2 is a sectionon the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the `line 3 3 of Fig.1; Fig 4 is a perspective of one of the angle plates Fig. 5 is aperspective of the binding plate, used for preventing `the spreading ofthe angle plates and for supporting the rail un derneath; and, Fig. 6 isa Vfraglnentary ele-, vation showing a slightly different forni of; thedevice than that appearing in the otherI figures. i

Rail webs are shown at 7, rail feet at 8,; and rail heads at 9, eachrail comprising, as` usual, a head, a foot, and a web. Each raill' isprovided with holes extending through;

the web, the outermost or `end holes being shown at 11. The angle platesare showny at 12 and are each provided with three strengthening ribs 10.Each angle plate isg further provided with a flat portion 13l Yadaptedto ft neatly against the webs 7 of:

the rails. Below the flat portion 13 and disposed upon the inside ofeach angle plate 12jI .is a groove 14. Each angle plate is providedtwith a base portion 15 partially bounding `this groove and is further`provided with ai rounded portion 16 and with a groove 17,3l the surfaceof which is curved and consti-Q ,permitting of this movement.

the faces abutting against the rail web tutes 'a continuation of thesurface of the rounded portion 16. The base 15 of each angle plateist-further provided with a notch 18 for a purpose `hereinafter stated.The flat portion 13 of each angle plate is provided with rivet holes 19and with wedgei shaped openings 20. Thesewedge-shaped openings havetheir deepest portions 21 adjacent to each other, Yas indicated in Fig.4, their shallowest portions 2O extending from the deep portions towardthe adjacent respectiveends of the plate. lVedges 23, made of metal andhaving proper form to mate the openings 20, are provided and disposedupon opposite sides of the rail web. A binding plate 23a, provided withrounded portions 24 adapted to fit snugly into the grooves 17 of theangle plates, is employed for the purpose of. `preventing the angleplates fromspreading. Each binding plate 23a is `provided with a groove25, the surface of which is curved and forms a continuation of theadjacent rounded surface 24 so that the lrounded portion 16 of the plateis adapt- `ed to t neatly into the groove 25 of the binding plate. Thebinding plate is further yprovided with a thick portion 26 locatedbetween its two grooves 25. Mounted upon Vthe lower face of the bindingplate 23'l are `tongues 27 which fit into the notches 18 of the angleplates. Carried by the wedges and extending laterally therefrom throughthe angle plates are rivets 28. These are for the purpose of holdingthe,wedges 23 in position relatively to theangle plates. The rivets 28extend through the rail web and are provided with heads 29 preferablyformed by riveting, and these heads are slidable relatively to the angleplates 12. The angle plates are provided with slots 30 and the rivets 28extend through these slots. The rivets and wedges 23 `are so arrangedthat `the wedges 23 move with the rivets in the event of slightdisplacement of the position of the rivets relatively to the angleplates. By this arrangement, whenever the rails expand or contractlowingto changes in temperature, the rivets 28 are shifted slightly inrelation to the angle plate, the slots 30 rails contract owing to theirbeing subjected to a low temperature,.the rivet-s 28 force the wedges 23to move slightly toward the adjacent portions of the rails, and in doingthis the inner faces of the wedgesthat is are Vhen the forced hardagainst the rail web. As the wedges are distributed in pairs asindicated in Fig. 2, the pressure of one wedge balances the pressure ofthe other wedge of the same pair so that while the rail web is nowgripped tightly between the two wedges of the pair there is nounbalanced pressure upon the web, such as would tend to displace it in adirection lateral to its length.

The angle plates 12 are provided with inclined faces 31 which, when theparts are in position as indicated in Fig. 3, rest upon the cross ties33 at the outer edges only of the base plates. This causes the weight ofthe rail to assist in forcing the flat portions 13 of the angle platesagainst the rail web, as will be seen from Fig. 3. I provide spikes 32having heads 31 and extending through holes 32@` in the angle plates forthe purpose of holding the angle plates in position. The pressure of thespikes upon the angle plates tends to increase the pressure of the fiatportions 13 against opposite faces of the rail webs. The spikes 3Qdiverge at their lower ends, as will be seen from Fig. 3. This virtuallyincreases the strength of the spikes for the reason that the strain uponthem is shifted slightlyT toward the general longitudinal axes of thespikes.

'Ihe operation of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, is asfollows The parts being assembled and arranged as indicated, the weightof the rails, the pressure of the spikes 32 and the inclination of theflat surfaces 31 all contribute to a common end, to wit: to force theflat portions 13 of the angle plates directly against the adjacent facesof the rail web. The tongues 27 which fit into the notches 1S as abovedescribed prevent any longitudinal or endwise movement of the bindingplate 23L relative to the angle plates 12 and in so doing preventdisplacement of the angle'plates. Suppose now that owing to changes intemperature of the atmosphere the rails 7 contract and their adjacentends are as a consequence drawn slightly apart, the wedges 23 are, byvirtue of the rivets extending through them and through the rail webs,drawn or pulled in the direct-ion toward which the wedges are pointing.This movement of the wedges forces them tightly against oppositelydisposed portions of the rail websthe net resultbeing that the railjoint as a whole is tightened considerably and this tightening takesplace just when it is most needed; that is to say, when the ends of therails are widest apart. The weight of the rails holds the binding plate2.3a in proper position relatively to the angle plates. The roundedportions 16 of the binding plate are unable to leave the grooves 17 ofthe angle plates, and similarly the rounded portions 16 of the angleplates are unable to withdraw from the grooves 25 of the binding plate.The

parts are thus effectively lockedtogether and the locking is renderedmore secure by the weight of the rails and the pressure of the spikes.

As will be noted from the foregoing description, no bolts, in the senseof rail bolts, and no nuts associated with such bolts, are employed.Practically, the ent-ire construction is made up of large parts easilyhandled, and where small parts are employed, they are located so as tobe protected andfor the most part inaccessible. rIhe rail joint isself-tightening, in the sense that the various movable parts areautomatically caused to tighten the parts with which they areassociated. l

In some instances it may be desirable to employ bolts, as indicated inFig. 6. 'Ihe Y bolts are shown at 35 and the angle plates are providedwith bolt holes 36 through which the bolts 35 extend. rIhe rails areprovided, as usual, with bolt holes of the kind shown at l1, thosedisclosed in this instance being the end holes.` The bolts are held inposit-ion by aid of nuts 37 substantially in the usual manner. Where thebolts 35 and the nuts 37 are employed, however,

the wedges 23 and rivets 2S for the same are discarded.

I do not limit myself to the particular construction shown, the scope ofmy invention being commensurate with my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let- Y ters Patent is as follows 1. A device of the characterdescribed comprising a pair of angle plates having portions for engaginga rail web and further provided with openings, Wedges located withinsaid openings, and means controllable by changes in the length of therail for moving said wedges within said openings.

2. A device of the character described, comprising angle plates forfitting against opposite surfaces of a rail, said angle plates beingprovided with openings, and wedges located within said openings andsecured to said rail for the purpose of enabling changes in the lengthof said rail to shift the said wedges relatively to said angle plates.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of angleplates, a rail provided with a portion extending betweensaid angleplates, wedges carried by said rail and 5. A device of the characterdescribed pressure exerted by said angle plates against comprising apair of angle plates, a rail dssaid rail. posed between said angleplates, and mechanism connected With said angle plates and A 5 With saidrail and controllable by changes Witnesses:

in length of said rail7 due to changes in EDW. T. HEARICK, temperature,for controlling the degree of Mrs. C. S. NEWMAN.

JULIAN E. FOOTE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

